Combination hair clipper



Nov. 13, 1962 M. B. BRAY COMBINATION HAIR CLIPPER Filed sept. 19. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 13, 1962 M. B. BRAY y COMBINATION HAIR CLIPPER 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Sept. 19. 1961 .filiali/Ilm United States Patent O 3,063,146 CMBINATLIN HAHR CLIPPER Murel B. Bray, 6360 Cherbourg Ave., El Paso, Tex.

Filed Sept. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 139,097

3 Claims. (Cl. 30-133) The present invention relates to an improved hair clipper of the type that includes a vacuum mechanism whereby the hair which is cut by a barber or the like will be sucked into a suitable and convenient container or compartment so that the hair will not fall into the neck or shoulders or other parts of a persons body whose hair is being cut, and wherein the hair will not fall to the door so that a barber can cut the hair in a more sanitary and desirable fashion or manner.

The present invention is an improvement over the combination hair clipper shown and described in prior Patent 2,946,123, dated July 26, 1960.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a combination hair clipper which is an improvement over the hair clipper sh-own and described in this prior patent as well as ybeing an improvement over other prior similar devices, and wherein according to the present invention there is provided a means for selectively directing the air or vacuum pressure into several zones so that for example when desired the air can be caused to flow through the housing or body of the clipper in order to cause the hair that has been cut to be deposited in a container, and wherein when desired the parts can be arranged so that the compartment or container can be conveniently emptied of hair.

A further object is to provide a combination hair clipper of the type stated that includes an improved means for operating the cutting mechanism las well as an improved vacuum means for accomplishing the desired results.

Still another object is to provide such a hair clipper that is economical to manufacture, and efficient to use and which is rugged in structure and foolproof in operation.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specication and claims, together with the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters and wherein:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of the combination hair clipper of the present invention, with parts broken away and in section, and showing the cover in closed position.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the combination hair clipper of the present invention, with parts broken away and in section, and showing the cover in closed position.

FIGURES 3, 4, 5, and 6 are sectional views taken on the lines 3 3, 4 4, 5 5 and 6 6 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the cover in opened position and showing the shutter and its associated parts in a dilferent position from that shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7, and showing the position of the parts when the cover is open.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional View taken on the line 9 9 of FIGURE 8, and with the cover open.

Referring in det-ail tothe drawings, the numeral y indicates the combination hair clipper of the present invention which` is shown to comprise a housing that is indicated generally by the numeral 21, FIGURE l, and the housing 21 includes main body portion 22 of cylindrical formation, and thenumeral 23 indicates in dotted lines of FIGURE 1 the conventional electric motor that is ad-apted to be arranged in the cylindrical portion Z2. of the housing 21. The numeral 24 indicates Patented Nov. 13, 1962.

passageways or spaces whereby air can conveniently ow over and past the motor 23 in order to help cool the motor 23 during the use of the clippers 20. The motor 23 is adapted to be connected to a suitable source of electrical energy as for example by means of the wire or conductor 25, and in FIGURES 1 and 2 the numeral 26 indicates a hand switch which is adapted to be used -for turning the motor 23 on and olf in the usual manner.

Driven by the motor 23 is a shaft 27', and one or more fans are suitably driven by and connected to the shaft 27, and the fans 28 are rotatably arranged or positioned in a chamber 34 that is dened within a portion of the lhousing 21, FIGURE 1. The numeral 29 indicates a worm gear that is mounted on the shaft Z7, and the worm gear meshes with a wheel gear 30,

and the wheel gear 30 is connected to a stub shaft 3l,

and the numeral 32 indicates a cam which is connected to the stub shaft 3l. yfor a purpose to be later described, and there is also provided a counterweight and the counterweight 33 is connected to the shaft 31 for helping to insure that the shaft rotates with a uniform action in the desired manner.

As-shown in the drawings, there is provided with an intermediate portion of the housing 21 a wall portion 35 which has a cutaway section 36, and the numeral 37 indicates a reticulated member or screen like member which is arranged continguous to the wall portion 35 whereby the reticulated member 37 prevents hair from being sucked through the opening or cutaway portion 36.

As shown in FIGURE 4 for example there is provided a hole 38 in a wall portion of the housing 21, and the numeral 39 indicates a movable rod or pin is arranged so that a portion thereof can move through the hole 38. The numeral 40 indicates a coil spring which has one end connected to the rod 39 as at 41, and the other end of the coil spring 40 is anchored as at 42 to the housing 21. An arcuate shutter or disc 43 is secured to the rod 39 4as by welding, so that as the rod 39 moves, the shutter 43 moves therewith, and the shutter 43 is mounted for movement into and out of opened and closed relation with respect to the cutaway section 36 of the wall portion 35. lThe shutter 43 is provided with aprojecting portion 44 which defines or provides a stop lug for engaging an inner surface of the wall of the housing 21 in order to limit the movement of the shutter 43 and its associated parts in one direction (FIGURE 4).

The numeral 45 indicates a wall piece which is arranged at right angles with respect to the wall portion 35, FIGURE 1. A wall section 46 is arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to the wall portion 35, and the wall section 46 is arranged at right angles with respect to the wall piece 45, and the wall portion 35 and wall piece 45, and wall section 46 coact to define therebetween a hair compartment or container 47. The numeral 48 indicates a baille that is varranged in the compartment 47, and the :baille 48 is affixed to the wall piece 4S as at 49. The plate 50 is connected to the wall piece 45 as at 51, and the plate 50 provides a lsupport for the stub shaft 31. The cam 32 on the stub shaft 31 is eccentrically mounted.

The plate 50 is tapped to receive the screw 49 that holds the baille 48. There is also provided the counter sunk screws 51, and the plate 50 is tapped to receive the screws 51, and these three screws are the three main screws for securing the plate 50 to the wall piece 45. The plate 50 is also bored to receive the rod 39, so as to act as a bearing for the rod 39 when the lid is open.

The housing 21 is provided with ashoulder portion 52 adjacent an end thereof, FIGURE 1.

As shown in the drawings, there is provided an actuator which is indicated generally by the numeral 53, and the actuator 53 includes an arm 54 which is provided with a slot 55 in one end thereof for receiving and engaging the cam 32 on the stub shaft 31. The arm 54 is provided with a transverse end portion 56, and the numeral 57 indicates a retaining screw which extends through the panel element 65 on the housing 21, and the retaining screw 57 serves to hold the panel element 65 in its proper assembled position. The screw 57 is adapted to extend through an opening 58 in the arm 54, and the screw 57 is arranged in threaded engagement with the wall piece 45, FIGURE 1.

The numeral 59 indicates a block or base piece which is secured to the transverse end portion 56 of the arm 54 as at 60, and the numeral 61 indicates a finger that is connected to the block 59 as at 62, and the finger 61 is provided with a groove or slot 63 therein, and the numeral 64 indicates a cutting head or mechanism which includes a stationary base element 66 that has a plurality of spaced apart teeth 67 thereon, and the cutting mechanism 64 further includes a retainer 68 which is connected to the base element 66 as at 70, and the retainer 68 is provided with a slot 69 therein. A tongue 71 is connected to a movable cutter member 74 by means of securing elements 73, and the securing elements 73 extend through the slot 69 in the retainer 68. The tongue 71 has a projection or lug 72 thereon for engagement with the groove 63 in the finger 61. The movable cutter member 74 has a plurality of spaced apart teeth 75 thereon, and the teeth 75 are adapted to coact with the teeth 67 so that the desired cutting action can take place as the cutting mechanism 64 is actuated. The numeral 76 indicates a support element which has a portion thereof secured between the retainer 68 and the base element 66, and a portion of the support element 76 is adapted to be snugly received in a recess 81 in the end of the housing 21, and there is also provided a means for selectively maintaining the support element 76 retained in the recess 81. This last named means comprises an indentation 77 in the support element 76, and there is provided a locking pin or pin element 78 which is adapted to extend through a portion of the shoulder 52, and the inner end of the pin element 78 is adapted to engage the indentation 77 in the support element 76, and there is provided a spring member 79 for maintaining the pin element 78 in holding relation with respect to the support element 76. The spring member 79 is held in place by means of a securing element or screw 80, and when it is desired to remove the cutting mechanism 64, the spring member 79 can be flexed slightly in order to permit the removal of the pin element 78 from its opening 82 so that the inner end of the pin element 78 will clear the indentation 77 in order to permit the support element 76 to be removed from its recess 81 in the end ofthe housing.

As shown in the drawings there is provided a cover 83 which is hingedly connected to a portion of the housing 21 as at 84, and there is a projection 85 on an end portion of the cover 83, and the projection 85 denes or provides a stopper which is mounted for movement into and out of opened and closed relation with respect to an opening 86 in the wall of the housing.

The numeral 87 indicates a catch or latch which is adapted to be used for selectively maintaining the cover 83 in closed position, and the catch 87 includes a thumb or finger piece 88, and there is also provided a stopper element 89 for limiting pivotal movement of the catch 87 in one direction. The catch 87 is pivotally supported by means of a pin or screw 90, and there is provided a spring element 91 for biasing or urging the catch 87 in the desired or proper direction. An end portion 93 is adapted to engage the end section or portion 94 of the cover 83 whereby the cover 83 can be selectively held in closed position. The numeral 95 indicates a window or viewing member or element which permits the user to observe the compartment 47 so that for example by looking through the window 95 the quantity of hair in the compartment 47 can be viewed in order to readily determine whether or not the compartment 47 needs emptying.

The numeral 96 indicates a port of opening in an end of the housing adjacent the cutting mechanism 64 whereby the hair which is cut by the mechanism 64 can be drawn in through the port 96, and there is provided a passageway 97 which establishes communication between the port 96 and the compartment 47 so that the hair can be received or deposited in the compartment 47. The numeral 98 indicates an air duct which is formed-in an enlarged section 103, and the duct 98 establishes communication between the compartment 47 and the chamber 34 through the medium of apertures or openings 100 and 99 respectively, FIGURE 8. The numeral 101 indicates a closure which is aixed to the cover 83 as at 102, and the closure 101 is mounted for movement into and out of blocking and unblocking relation with respect to the aperture 100 as the cover 83 is moved. As shown in the drawings there is provided a finger engaging enlargement 104 on the cover 83 for facilitating the manual movement ofthe cover 83.

There is shown in FIGURE 1 for example, a pivot pin 105 which extends through the iinger 61 and through the block 59 and into engagement with the shoulder 52. The numeral 106 indicates retaining screws or bolts which may be used for retaining or maintaining the units or elements 107 in its proper assembled position, so that for example by loosening or removing the screws 106, the unit or element 107 can be removed in order to facilitate cleaning or repair of any of the parts as desired or required.

lt will therefore be seen that according to the present invention there has been provided a combination hair clipper which is an improvement over prior devices as for example the present invention is an improvement over the combination hair clipper shown and described in prior Patent 2,946,123, dated July 26, 1960. According to the present invention it will be seen that the clippers 20 are adapted to be connected to a suitable source of electrical energy as for example the conductor 25 can connect the motor 23 to the source of electrical energy, and with the switch 26 turned on the motor 23 will operate to rotate the shaft '27 and this in turn will rotate the fans 28 in the chamber 34. With the cover 83 in closed position it will be seen that vacuum pressure will be created by the rotation of the fans 28 so that hair that is cut by the mechanism 64 will be sucked into the opening or port 96 and this hair Will travel through the passageway 97 and be received in a compartment 47. The screen 37 will prevent the hair from travelling beyond the compartment 47, but the air will be able to travel through the screen 37 so that this air can tlow through the screen 37 and then into the chamber 34 and then through spaces around the motor 23 whereby the motor 23 can be kept cool as it operates, and this air can flow out through the left end of the housing 21, FIGURE l, after it has performed its cooling action on the motor 23, and this air is adapted to travel through passageways or spaces as indicated by the numeral 24 in FIGURE 1 during the cooling of the motor 23. This action takes place when the cover 83 is in closed position, and the catch 87 includes an end portion 93 that is adapted to engage an edge portion 94 of the cover 83 to maintain the cover 83 in closed position relative to the compartment 47. The spring 91 exerts pressure on the catch 87 so that the catch 87 will not inadvertently move out of holding engagement with respect to the cover 83. However When it is desired to open the cover 83, finger pressure can be applied to the button portion 88 to compress the spring 91 whereby the catch 87 can pivot onits pin 90 in order to permit the end portion 93 to move out of engagement with the edge 94 so that the cover 83 can be swung open on its hinge 84. When the cover 83 is in closed position, its

projection 85 is in closing or blocking relation with respect to the opening 86.

At the same time that the motor 23 is operating the fans 28, it is providing a source of power for the cutting mechanism 64 and this is because of the previously described arrangement of parts. That is, as the shaft 27 rotates due to actuation of the lmotor 23, the worm 29 will turn so as to rotate the gear 30 which is in meshing engagement with the worm 29, and since the gear 30 is iixedly mounted on the stub shaft 31, it will be seen that the stub shaft 31 will rotate, and with the cam 32 on the stub shaft 31, it will be seen that this will cause an eccentrical movement of the cam 32. The actuator 53 includes the arm 54 which has its slotted portion 55 engaging the cam 32, so as the cam 32 travels eccentrically the arm 54 of the actuator 53 will be moved in a direction to correspond to the eccentric movement of the cam 32 whereby the ar-m 54 can move about an axis extending through the screw 57. As the arm 54 moves it causes corresponding movement of the block 59 since the block 59 is secured as at 60 to the transverse end portion 56 of the arm 54. The pin 105 acts as a fulcrum or pivot for the block 59 and its associated parts, and with the nger 61 secured as at 62 to the block 59, it will be seen that this movement of the actuator 53 will cause corresponding movement of the linger 61. In view of the fact that the groove 63 of the linger 61 receives or engages the projection 72 on the member 71, it will be seen that as the finger 61 moves back and forth, it will cause corresponding back and forth movement of the member 71 due to the interengagement of the parts 63 and 72, and since the member 71 is connected as at 73, to the movable cutter member 74, it will be seen that this action will result in back and forth movement of the cutter member 74 relative to the stationary base element 66 so that the teeth 75 and 67 can coact to cut or severe the hair therebetween. This cut 4hair is sucked up by the vacuum created pressureand sucked into the port 96 whereby the cut hair travels through the passageways 97 and is received in the compartment 47 as previously stated.

The user can readily look through the window 95 which is adapted to be made of a suitable transparent material such as glass, transparent plastic or the like, so that the user can readily observe when the compartment 47 needs to be emptied. When it is desired to empty the compartment 47, it is only necessary to open the catch 87 by applying linger pressure to the button 88 so as tomove the end portion out of engagement with the edge 94 whereby the cover 83 can be swung open on its hinge 84. As the cover 83 is moved to the opened position, the flow of air will travel in such a manner or direction so as to -blow out or cause the hair in the compartment 47 to be discharged from the compartment 47. When the cover 83 moves to an open position, the projection 85 exposes or opens the hole or opening 86.

The support element 76 is held in place by the pin 78, and the spring 79 helps to exert suflicient pressure on the pin 78 so that the pin 78 can exert the desired holding action on the support element 76.

The use of the worm gear 29 and the worm wheel 30 between the fan or fans 28 and the eccentric or cam 32 permits heavy work to be performed without increasing motor horsepower, and these gears can be enclosed for lubrication purposes or they can be left open and lubricated with graphite.

With the present invention the hair can be removed automatically from the container by using part or all of the exhaust air from the fan or fans instead of using a reversible motor. In order to use the exhaust air to remove the hair, the cover or lid 83 is opened and the shutter 43 is moved to closed position relative to the cutaway portion 36, relieving the Vacuum in the compartment 47, removing the closure 1 from the opening or aperture 100, and, at the same time, removing the stopper 85 from the opening 86 thus permitting the air to ow in through the opening 86, under and bypassing the compartment 47, into the chamber 34 where part of it is deflected by the fans radially outwardly into the aperture 99, through the duct 98, through the aperture 100 and into the compartment 47 where the air strikes the baffle 48 and removes the hair from the compartment 47 as shown in FIGURE 8. The portion of the air not deflected by the fans into the aperture 99 is forced out the back of the clipper, passing through and around the motor. The closure 101 is secured to or formed integral with the cover 83 so that anytime the lid or cover 83 is open, the intake cover or closure 101 is likewise removed from blocking the aperture 100.

To remove the hair from the container or compartment 47, the cover or lid 83 is opened, and the shutter 43 automatically moves to closed position relative to the cutout 36 relieving the vacuum in the compartment 47. This action takes place automatically because the shutter 43 is spring loaded. That is to provide the spring loading for the shutter 43, the spring 40 is fastened to the rod 39 that operates the shutter, and this mechanism is loaded so as to close the shutter when the lid or cover 83 is opened. Since the rod 39 engages the cover 83, the cover is kept closed by the spring loaded catch 87 which may have a suitable construction, and the cover is kept closed when the clipper is being operated or used in the usual manner.

With further reference to the cutting mechanism 64, due to the provision of the pin 78 and spring 79 as Well as the support element 76 and its associated parts, the cutting mechanism64 can be readily removed or disconnected from the housing when desired or required. rl`he device is constructed so that the various parts can be readily disassembled in order to permit cleaning or repair or replacement thereof. The entire cover may be made of transparent material insteadv of just having the small window of transparent material if desired or required.

As previously stated the exhaust air flows through and around the motor 23 so as to cool the motor as the hair is being cut.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the scope of the invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

What is claimed is:

l. In a combination hair clipper, a housing, a motor arranged in an end of said housing, a cutting `mechanism connected to the opposite end of the housing, cam and gear means operatively connecting said motor to said cutting mechanism, a chamber defined in the intermediate portions of said housing, a hair compartment in said housing adjacent said chamber, fans arranged in said chamber and said fans being driven by said motor, there being a hair intake port in an end of said housing adjacent said cutting mechanism, a passageway in said housing establishing communication between said port and compartment, an air duct for connecting said compartment to said chamber, a baille in said compartment, a cover hingedly connected to said housing, a reticulated member interposed between said compartment and said chamber, a spring loaded shutter movably mounted contiguous to said reticulated member, said cover adapted to selectively move said shutter, and a closure connected to said cover and said closure being mounted for movement into and out of blocking and unblocking relation with respect to said air duct, there being an opening in said housing, and a projection on said cover defining a stopper mounted for movement into and out of opened and closed relation with respect to said last named opening.

2. A combination hair clipper comprising a housing, a motor in said housing, fans driven by said motor, -a cutting mechanism driven by said motor, vacuum means for causing the hair to be sucked into the housing after hair has been cut by the cutting mechanism, and a compartment in the housing for receiving the cut hair, a means for selectively emptying the hair from the compartment, said accanita means comprising a spring loaded shutter, and a hingedly mounted cover operatively connected to said shutter for controlling movement of the shutter.

3. In a combination hair clipper, a lhousing including a main body portion of cylindrical formation, a motor arranged in the cylindrical portion of the housing and said motor adapted to be connected to a source of supply of electrical energy, a shaft driven by said motor, there being a chamber in said housing, a plurality of fans rotatably arranged in said chamber and said fans being connected to said shaft, a worm gear on said shaft, a wall portion in said housing adjacent said chamber and said Wall Portion being provided with a cutaway section, a reticulated member contiguous to said Wall portion, there being an opening in said housing, a rod having a portion thereof reciprocally arranged in said opening, a coil spring having one end connected to said rod and the other end anchored to said housing, an arcuate shutter affixed to said rod and said shutter being mounted for movement into and out of opened and closed relation with respect to said cutaway section, a stop lug on said shutter for selectively engaging a portion of said housing, a wall piece arranged in said housing and said wall piece being arranged at right angles with respect to said wall portion, a wall section arranged at right angles with respect to said wall piece and said wall section being arranged in spaced parallel relation with respect to said wall portion, said wall portion, wall section, and wall piece coacting to dene a hair compartment, a baille arranged in said hair compartment and said bale being aixed to said wall piece, a plate affixed to said wall piece, a stub shaft connected to said plate, a wheel gear meshing with said wormgear. and said wheel gear being connected to said stub shaft, a counterweight arranged on said stub shaft, an eccentric cam operatively connected to said stub shaft, said housing including a shoulder portion,` an actuator including an arm provided with a slot in one end thereof for receiving said cam, said arm including a transverse end portion having a block aXed thereto, a pivot pin connecting said block to said shoulder portion, a nger connected to said block and said iinger having a groove therein, a cutting mechanism including a stationary base element having a plurality of spaced apart teeth thereon, a retainer connected to said `base element and said retainer having a slot therein, a movable tongue having a projection thereon for engagement with the groove in said finger, a movable cutter member reciprocally mounted between said retainer and base element and said cutter member having spaced apart teeth thereon for coaction with the teeth on said base element, a securing element projecting through the slot in said retainer for connecting said tongue to said movable cutter member, a support element having a portion thereof secured between said retainer and base element, there being a recess in said housing for receiving an end portion of said support element; a locking pin element extending through the shoulder portion of said housing for engaging said support element, a spring member connected to said shoulder portion for selectively retaining said pin element in said shoulder portion, a cover hingedly connected to said housing, a manually operable catch for selectively maintaining said cover in closed position, a projection on said cover defining a stopper, there being an opening in said housing adapted to be selectively opened or closed by said stopper, a Window on said cover, there being an air duct for establishing communication between the compartment and chamber, there being spaced apart apertures for connecting the duct to the compartment and chamber, and a closure aXed to said cover and said closure being mounted for movement into and out of opened and closed relation with respect to the aperture that connects the duct to the compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,388,324 Holcomb Nov. 6, 1945 2,598,212 Blair May 27, 1952 2,946,123 Bray July 26, 1960 

